Week One - Introduction

Introduction
From time to time, everyone experiences feelings of fear or apprehension. It’s only natural. But some anxieties and fears are both needless and largely psychological. These are called parasitic anxieties and fears.

You can overcome them by
1. Educating yourself to oppose parasitic thinking and reacting
2. Learning to build emotional tolerance
3. Behaviorally engaging your fear and desensitizing yourself to it.

RELIEF FROM FEAR

Defeating anxieties and fears is a process. This is something that takes place over time, when you make adjustments as you go. Through this process, you gain progressive mastery of the techniques that can help you reduce and vanquish needless fears. YOU WILL DECIDE HOW TO PACE YOURSELF!

A NO-BLAME APPROACH

Blame can be useful at a social level, such as dispassionately assigning accountability. We live in a blame culture. There are three “e’s” of blame culture.

1. Blame excuses (complaining, nitpicking, faultfinding)
2. Blame extensions (downing and dunning)
3. Blame exonerations (denials, excuses and shifting of the blame). *This usually being the most destructive*
Blame extension involves condemnation for any real or imagined rule violations, debasement or dehumanization for the error, and punishment that exceeds the level of real or imagined damage.

You can break a blame-anxiety connection by recognizing blame when it pops into mind. Taking responsibility for blame thinking opens opportunities to rid yourself of this kind of stress. You can develop self-kindness through reflection, reasons and by drawing upon your natural sense of compassion.

This book takes a blame-free approach. The focus here is on solving problems.

DEALING WITH COEXISTING ISSUES

Most people who suffer from parasitic anxieties and fears tend to find themselves challenged by depression, perfectionism, and self-doubt. These coexisting conditions include these features:

• Unpleasant or stressful emotions and sensation
• Faulty beliefs
• Unrealistic Self-perception
• Unrealistic Self-perception
• Intolerance for discomfort
• Threat sensitivity
• Self-defeating behaviors

Effectively addressing any one issue will help you address other issues. Dealing with self doubts help defuse parasitic anxieties and fears. The methods you use to defeat powerlessness thinking in anxiety apply to defeating powerlessness thinking in depression. Developing an optimistic outlook can undo many forms of distress based on unrealistic pessimism. Becoming less of a perfectionist removes reason for feeling anxious.